Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

@faithwalker007 what are the CDC Opiod Guidelines? Sorry to hear how awfully the medical system failed you.

Hi there esperanza22, I am a bit tardy with my response and realized I hadn't connected with you recently. Duloxetine: here's the deal. I was not taking anything in the morning for my SFN (small fiber neuropathy). I was taking Nortriptyline at night for sleeping. After a neuropsychological study, it was found that my pain in the day was being increased by anxiety and depression. A sorry state of affairs, I can assure you. In addition, I had constipation from it.

So....even though it worked for sleep, I tapered off the night-time Nortriptyline in several months. Then I began very slowly to begin and then add to the Duloxetine in the morning. Duloxetine is a much newer medication than Nortriptyline even though it worked as prescribed. Duloxetine is both an anti-anxiety as well as an anti-depressive. Therefore, it helps me get through the day quite well. I have more energy with less pain and a clearer mind. I'll take that.

So what do I do for sleeping? I moved my Gabapentin to the evening also. Helps with pain and my medical cannabis does the rest. I rarely have a bad night, except of course when I have the Neuropathic Itch. And then it is more like a nightmare.

It seems like we all have to create our own paths through this journey of pain, depression, and anxiety. I know that next year things may be different. Right now...I am pleased with the changes and the duloxetine.

May you be free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Chris

Hi @jerid could you post a link to this product? I do not find it on Amazon. A direct web link would be helpful. Thanks!

Chris Trout
In your post, you mentioned medical cannabis and sleep. I have a sleep disorder that sleep medicine does not know how to treat. It is called epic (non-rem) dreaming and I have suffered with it most of my life. I have mentioned trying cannabis but they don't seem to want to try it. Plus they do not know anything about it. What type, strength, smoke, extract, etc. I am tired of taking antidepressants like a lab rat. Can you tell me anything about how cannabis might affect dreaming?

https://www.amazon.com/LaserTRX-Relief-Laser-Therapy-Device/dp/B07HQTB77T
This has the best price of $985. and is the one we got. It comes with safety glasses. We did not realize that and ordered a purple pair, but the included ones fit my head the best. I have to use it on my forehead and scalp. I will tell you the first few times using it it seemed to rile up my nerve, but after the 3rd time I really am doing better throughout my day. I use it 2x a day like in the instructions. Hope you find it helpful. Would love to hear back if you do purchase it and use it.

I have been smoking 50 years and there isn't a moment I regret. First place marijuana does not kill pain. It relaxes you and helps you deal with it a lot better. It calms you as it makes you hear better taste better feel better and the best part about it it could make you smile. I'm a chronic pain individual who takes Miles opioids because I've given up and everything else as far as trying to dilute my pain. Cannabis is just an additive that makes the whole thing work together and makes life a little easier to deal with our discomfort. When I take a puff and it's just a puff and if you have quality cannabis in a few minutes your taste buds increase, music sounds fabulous, and this best it greates euphoria of calm.
If you live in a state that it's legal go to those people & up for it and they will guide you on what is best and what to choose from for the different types of a feeling that you want to create azerrz different strains for different feelings. It's worth it that's all I can say and best of luck to you.

The CDC Opioid Guidelines - maximum of 90 MME of opioids prescribed by general physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, etc. to acute care, short-term pain patients in the regular capacity of their practice. It does not apply to pain care specialists, oncologists, dentists, or other specialists who treat chronic pain patients, neurological pain patients, specialists dealing with end-stage disease, and cancer.
They are also just GUIDELINES, not rigid statutes meant for the medical world. The DEA has overstepped their bounds as a law enforcement agency (not a medical practice entity and authority).
They are threatening doctors and pharmacists to withhold care, treatment, and comfort from chronic pain patients who deserve to live quality lives not tortured ones.
New Hampshire passed legislation to keep this from happening. It’s time every state stepped up to the plate and did the same thing.

My name is Renee and I have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. I live in Wyoming. I developed this disease after my knee replacement in 2017 and have been fighting for a diagnosis, medical treatment for the pain, and a continual search for quality and hope in life. As most know, in today’s paranoid, narrow-minded view of pain and its treatment, it’s becoming harder if not impossible to do so.
Life though isn’t about pain, it’s about joy. It’s not about control and manipulation but strength and courage. And most of all, love. I’ve learned I’m never in this alone because even if I don’t have friends or even family by my side during the hardest, most unbearable days of my life, I always have the One Person who has never left my side and remains beside me today— my Friend, Jesus.

That muley was a gift from God! We went out on a day hunt, scouting really because I was cooped up and wanted some fresh air.
I bought my hunting license, my hubby drove to the area, and we caught this guy grazing on his own! Twenty minutes later we were on our way home and several days from then, our freezers were full (hubby had shot a whitetail a couple of weeks prior).
Pain stayed at a minimum and I only had to walk about fifteen yards before and after!
God is good and so is my guy. Lol

@faithwalker007

Hi Renee. I'm 70, and have been dealing with sfpn since the beginning of 2013. Doctors have prescribed one medication after another. A few gave limited relief for a limited time. Others have had no effect, while others have had minor to severe side effects. Early on, I was prescribed morphine sulfate contin, 30mg tid, and it's the only medication that's helped long term. I still have significant pain but mscontin takes the edge off.

A few years ago I wanted to see how much it was helping, so I slowly tapered off it, and after 2 or 3 weeks, it was clearly treating my pain. So I tapered back on it, but found that 15mg tid was adequate. Big mistake! Shortly after that, my pcp told me that he would NOT increase it. I really do need to get back to the 30mg tid, but he says that I'd just be needing more because I've built tolerance. I also take 1mg of Clonazepam for anxiety, and it has done its job for 14 years. But now it's a crime to take an opioid and benzodiazepines together. So, now I have to apply for prior authorization through my doctor. Did that in September, and it's only good until the end of the year.

My pain started in the balls of my feet and now it's hurting all of my feet and has moved up to my ankles.

If I stay busy, I'm distracted from the pain, but the pain is 5-7. When I sit down, stand still, or lie down, it ramps up to8-9. And that's how it feels taking mscontin. If I'm not hurting too much, I only take one in the morning and one at bedtime. If my feet and ankles hurt too much (9), I take the 3rd one at bedtime, and taking 30mg at one time makes a difference. After an hour, the pain is down enough to go to sleep.

Two weeks ago I had surgery for severe spinal stenosis at L3-L4, and L4-L5, hoping that releasing the pressure on the nerves will reduce the pain enough to allow the SCS to be adjusted and help with pain control the way it did 2 years ago.

I retired at 55 on Social Security disability because depression, anxiety and PTSD had left me unable to function in my job as a pastor. With the help of some good doctors and therapists and medications, those things are pretty much under control, though not completely gone.

Pain is a factor in the mental health challenges that I face. When it's a level 9, my mood is definitely affected. I need to communicate that to my pcp somehow. I've been talking about this with the therapist, figuring out how he can advocate for me. I do advocate for myself as much as I can, but I know it's not enough. The opioid legal information you mentioned is exactly what's going on here in Oregon. The decision makers are out of touch with a realistic view of the pain relief needs of those with chronic intractable pain, and whose pain is relieved only by opioid pain meds. And mental health seems to be totally off the radar. So what if the benzodiazepine is keeping anxiety under control. It doesn't seem to matter.

Well, by the end of November I'll be pushing my prescription drug providers to get the process of prior authorization approval started, in time to get it cleared before I run out of mscontin. I really hope that this won't be a quarterly hassle. It is certainly having a negative effect on my anxiety level.

I should have taken my meds an hour ago, so I need to quit writing and get ready for bed. I hope and pray with you that some of these issues will be resolved without having all of the collateral damage to those of us who need pain medications and take them responsibly.

Jim